Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur sees incredible growth – both physically and as a player – from cornerback Carrington Valentine in Year 2.
When asked about Valentine’s offseason work, LaFleur praised the newborn player who has done everything the team has asked him to do to prepare physically for the 2024 season.
“I thought it was great,” LaFleur said Tuesday. “He’s a guy who, honestly, I think stands out because we challenged him to put on weight after the regular season. He’s back and he definitely looks bigger and is bigger. He is stronger. He loves football, he loves competition. I’m excited about it. I think he has a really bright future ahead of him.”
Valentine, a seventh-round pick in the 2023 draft who weighs just 189 pounds, needed to add strength to his play as a sophomore, especially in a novel defense that will require more physicality at the line of scrimmage. He went to work in the offseason and checked that box.
“He works physically day and night,” LaFleur said. “In terms of all the fundamentals, obviously there are a few different things we ask these guys to do from a defensive perspective and I think he approached it the right way. The one thing you can count on with him is that when he steps on the field to compete, he will give it his all. When you approach it this way, you make huge leaps, huge improvements. He really pushes the guys forward. It’s stimulating because at cornerback we have a lot of different players coming in and playing the ball for us.
Despite being drafted in the seventh round, Valentine not only made the 53-man roster, but also started 12 games as a rookie in 2023. He made 44 tackles and recoveries, leading the team with nine pass breakups. Valentine played 695 snaps, accounting for over 60 percent of the defense’s total snaps.
According to Pro Football Focus, Valentine has allowed 35 catches on 61 targets for 420 yards and one touchdown while only taking two penalties. His passer rating was just 84.1.
The Packers return Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes and cornerback Keisean Nixon, making it hard for Carrington to be the starter. However, both Alexander and Stokes have struggled with significant injury issues in 2023, and Valentine is almost certainly the next man up at full-back. While Stokes may be the favorite to start on the perimeter opposite Alexander, it’s certainly possible that Valentine will compete for that spot during training camp.
